Gentleman’s Magazine, records under 8th January 1743, the death of “Lady Charlotta De Rucy of a noble family in France, near ninety; she came over in King William’s reign on account of her religion.” The Dublin Journal of January 15th says, “Last Saturday, died of a lingering illness, at her house on the Terras in St. James’s Street, London, near ninety years of age, the Lady Charlotta de Rucy, a French lady of a great family in the kingdom, and who has resided here on account of her religion ever since King William’s reign. By her death a considerable pension reverts to the crown.” On the 24th of that month her brother was granted letters of administration of “the goods, chattels, and credits of the Right Honorable Lady Charlotte De Roussy De Roy and De la Rochefoucauld.” Of this brother I have next to speak.[1]
II. Frederick William, Comte de Marton, Earl of Lifford.
Frederick William De Roye De la Rochefoucauld was the fourth son of the refugee Comte De Roye, and was born in 1666. He was originally styled the Comte De Champagne-Mouton, but exchanged that title for that of Comte De Marthon, pronounced and afterwards spelt “Marton.” He was a military officer, and served in Denmark under his father. In England he was naturalised, along with his sisters, by letters patent, dated 20th September 1694. It was, however, in 1687 that he came over, and King James gave him a commission as Guidon in the Horse Guards. He was appointed colonel of a refugee infantry regiment (late Cambon’s) on the 10th August 1693, and continued in the command until the general disbanding of the French regiments after the Peace of Ryswick. Luttrell notes, under date 19th July, 1698, “Count Marton, son of the late Count De Roy, and colonel of a regiment of French refugees, will be made Earl of Lifford in Ireland.” Beatson informs us that a king’s letter was granted to create him Earl of Lifford, but no patent followed; the Earldom, however, was conceded to him as a courtesy title. According to Beatson, he rose to the rank of Major-General. The title somewhat perplexed the printers of news, who, knowing that a Huguenot regiment must have a French colonel, made conjectures as to the name of Lifford, and styled his regiment sometimes Lesford’s, sometimes Le Fort’s; I find it once mentioned as Martoon’s. He retired in 1699 on a pension of £500 a-year.
On the declaration of war in the reign of Queen Anne, Lord Galway wrote to Marlborough, recommending Lifford and Montandre for employment. The Duke acknowledged that they were excellent officers. Lord Lifford was named to command a regiment in a brigade of refugees to form part of a force under the Earl of Rivers, who was to make a descent upon France. But when he found that the brigade was to be commanded by the Marquis De Guiscard, late Abbot of Bourlie, Lifford declined to serve under that political adventurer, who was a Papist and a profligate. Guiscard’s patron and associate, St. John (afterwards Viscount Bolingbroke), had his well-known murderous fracas with that Marquis some years later, and he might then read, with feelings of deference for Lifford, the following sentence in an old letter from Marlborough “to Mr. St. John,” dated “Camp at Rousselaer, 1st July 1706,” — “I think her Majesty has shown a very just resentment of the Lord Lifford’s and Comte Paulin’s behaviour, and am glad you find on the contrary so much zeal and modesty in the Marquis De Guiscard.”
In the “Annals of Queen Anne,” we are informed that a deputation, headed by the Earl of Lifford and Messrs Le Coq and St. Leger, introduced by the Earl of Sunderland, 7th April 1707, presented an address to her Majesty, agreed upon at a meeting of which Pastor De la Riviere was president, praying “that her Majesty would graciously vouchsafe to take into her royal care the interests of the poor distressed churches of France, when her thoughts should be employed in settling the great concerns of Europe in a treaty of peace.” In 1712 we find Lifford, in the society of Prince Eugene of Savoy, on his visit to England, and embarking with that great commander for Holland on his return home. A committee of the Irish House of Commons, in 1717, engaged in revising pensions, takes notice of £500 per
- ↑
Guy de Durfort, Marquis de Duras. = Elisabeth de la Tour d’Auvergne. Louis de Durfort,
Earl of Feversham.Henriette de Durfort. = Marquis de Malauze. Elisabeth de Durfort. = Comte de Roye. Armand de Bourbon, Marquis de Miremont. Charlotte de Bourbon. Frederic William, Earl of Litford. Charlotte. Henriette, Countess of Strafford.
